2025 Festival Dispatch #1 Show Notes

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Description
The first 2025 festival dispatch of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the first week of press screenings of the 2025 New York Film Festival, and features guest Alex Lei.

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Guest: Alex Lei
  • Recorded in New York City on Zoom H4N and Behringer Microphones, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded September 19, 2025
  • Released October 2, 2025
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Season of the Devil
    • Mimosas

2024 Festival Dispatch #2 Show Notes

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Description
The second 2024 festival dispatch of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the middle week of the 2024 New York Film Festival, and features guests Soham Gadre and Esther Rosenfield.

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Guests: Soham Gadre, Esther Rosenfield
  • Recorded in New York City on Zoom H4N, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded October 5, 2024
  • Released November 8, 2024
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Life Is Sweet
    • Honor of the Knights

2024 Festival Dispatch #1 Show Notes

Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

Description
The first 2024 festival dispatch of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the first week of the 2024 New York Film Festival, and features guests Forrest Cardamenis and Jackson Kim Murphy.

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Guests: Forrest Cardamenis, Jackson Kim Murphy
  • Recorded in New York City on Zoom H4N, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded October 1, 2024
  • Released October 9, 2024
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Hale County This Morning, This Evening
    • Queen of Earth

2022 Festival Dispatch Show Notes

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Description
The 2022 festival dispatch of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the 2022 New York Film Festival, and features guest Nick Newman.

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Guest: Nick Newman
  • Recorded in Los Angeles and New York City on Sudotack Microphone and Audacity, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded October 29, 2022
  • Released October 30, 2022
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Like You Know It All
    • Drift

2021 Festival Dispatch #2 Show Notes

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Description
The second 2021 festival dispatch of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the second week of the 2021 New York Film Festival, and features guests Forrest Cardamenis, Edo Choi, Soham Gadre, Susannah Gruder, Jeva Lange, and Jason Miller.

0:00-54:44 – Part One
54:45-1:55:41 – Part Two

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Guests: Forrest Cardamenis, Edo Choi, Soham Gadre, Susannah Gruder, Jeva Lange, Jason Miller
  • Recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, and New Jersey on Sudotack Microphone and MacBook GarageBand and Audacity and Zoom Recorder and iPhone, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded October 8, 2021
  • Released October 19, 2021
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • The Power of Kangwon Province
    • Blissfully Yours
    • Touching the Skin of Eeriness

2021 Festival Dispatch #1 Show Notes

Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

Description
The first 2021 festival dispatch of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the first week of the 2021 New York Film Festival, and features guests Forrest Cardamenis, Soham Gadre, Susannah Gruder, and Patrick Preziosi. (Edo Choi was also on the call but could not be included due to technical difficulties.)

0:00-34:08 – Part One
34:09-1:11:09 – Part Two

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Guests: Forrest Cardamenis, Soham Gadre, Susannah Gruder, Patrick Preziosi, Edo Choi
  • Recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, and New Jersey on Sudotack Microphone and MacBook GarageBand and Audacity and Zoom Recorder, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded October 1, 2021
  • Released October 5, 2021
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Our Beloved Month of August
    • Poison
    • The Souvenir

18th (1980): “The Earth Strikes Back” Show Notes

Table of Contents: Description, Corrections/Clarifications, Housekeeping, General, Main Slate, Ephemera, Recurring Directors, Recurring Countries, One-Time Directors, Debuts/Final Features, Festivals/Oscar Nominees, Events/Shorts/Panels, Discussions By Length, Specifications

poster

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Description
The eighteenth episode of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the eighteenth edition of the festival in 1980, and features special guest Shawn Glinis, host of the Wiseman Podcast.

0:00-16:20 – Opening
16:21-55:27 – Part One [Melvin and Howard to Special Treatment]
55:28-1:33:05 – Part Two [Confidence to Camera Buff]
1:33:06-2:27:51 – Part Three [Europa ’51 to Every Man for Himself]
2:27:52-3:20:37 – Part Four [Loulou to The Last Metro]
3:20:38-3:26:19 – Closing

Corrections/Clarifications

  • N/A

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Special Guest Shawn Glinis
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Recorded in Roswell and Detroit on Sudotack Microphone and Audacity, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Poster by Les Levine
  • Recorded July 4, 2021
  • Released September 23, 2021
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Melvin and Howard (opening night)
    • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (another favorite)
    • The Conductor (favorite of the first section)
    • And Quiet Rolls the Dawn (favorite of the second section)
    • Kagemusha (favorite of the third section)
    • Loulou (favorite of the fourth section)
    • The Last Metro (closing night)

General

  • Selection Committee: Richard Roud (program director), Richard Corliss, Molly Haskell, Susan Sontag, Tom Luddy (West Coast consultant), Mary Meerson (retrospective consultant)
  • Location: Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall
  • Prices: 4, 6; for opening and closing night 7.50 and 12
  • Films seen for the podcast:
    • Ryan
      • Seen before podcast watching period: N/A
      • Seen for the podcast: All available
      • Favorite films: Tih-Minh, Kagemusha, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Color of Pomegranates, Every Man for Himself, Loulou
      • Least favorite films: Nights at O’Rear’s
    • Shawn
      • Seen before podcast watching period: Melvin and Howard, Camera Buff, Once Upon a Time in the West
      • Seen for the podcast: The Conductor, Europa ’51, The Color of Pomegranates, Kagemusha, Every Man for Himself, Loulou, The Last Metro; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood rewatched
      • Favorite films: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Kagemusha, Loulou
      • Least favorite films: N/A
  • Discoveries of the festival: The Conductor, Bye Bye Brazil, And Quiet Rolls the Dawn
  • Unavailable films: The Handyman, Masoch, Quilts in Women’s Lives, Handicapped Love, Rush

Main Slate

Opening Night: Melvin and Howard (1980, Jonathan Demme)
September 26, 7:30 {Avery Fisher Hall}
Released 1980
The Handyman [L’Homme à tout faire] (1980, Micheline Lanctôt)
September 27, 12:30
Never released
Masoch (1980, Franco Brogi Taviani)
September 27, 3:00
Never released
The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1980, Connie Field)
Also: Quilts in Women’s Lives (1980, Pat Ferrero)
September 27, 6:00
Released 1981/Never released
Bye Bye Brazil [Bye Bye Brasil] (1979, Carlos Diegues)
September 27, 9:00
Released 1980
The Conductor [Dyrygent] (1980, Andrzej Wajda)
September 28, 9:30
Released 1982
Special Treatment [Poseban tretman] (1980, Goran Paskaljević)
September 30, 6:15
Released 1982
Confidence [Bizalom] (1980, Szabó István)
September 30, 9:30
Released 1981
And Quiet Rolls the Dawn [Ek Din Pratidin/One Day Every Day] (1979, Mrinal Sen)
October 1, 9:30
Never released
Handicapped Love [Behinderte Liebe] (1979, Marlies Graf)
And: Here’s looking at you, kid. (1980, William Edgar Cohen)
October 2, 6:15
Never released/Never released
Sunday Daughters [Vasárnapi szülők/Sunday Parents] (1980, Rózsa János)
October 3, 6:15
Never released
Camera Buff [Amator/Amateur] (1979, Krzysztof Kieślowski)
October 3, 9:30
Released 1983
Retrospective: Europa ’51 [Europe ’51] (1952, Roberto Rossellini)
October 4, 9:00
Released 1954
Retrospective: The Martin Scorsese Color Show
Once Upon a Time in the West [C’era una volta il West/Once Upon a Time the West] (1968, Sergio Leone)
October 5, 4:30
Released 1969
The Color of Pomegranates [Nřan guynə] (1969, Sergei Parajanov)
October 6, 6:15
Never released
Kagemusha [Shadow Warrior] (1980, Kurosawa Akira)
October 6, 9:30
Released 1980
Every Man for Himself [Sauve qui peut (la vie)/Save Whoever Can (Life)] (1980, Jean-Luc Godard)
October 8, 6:15
Released 1980
Loulou (1980, Maurice Pialat)
October 8, 9:30
Released 1980
“Americana”
New York Story (1980, Jackie Raynal)
Rush (1980, Evelyn Purcell)
Nights at O’Rear’s (1980, Robert Mandel)
October 9, 6:15
Never released/Never released/Never released
The Constant Factor [Constans/Constant] (1980, Krzysztof Zanussi)
October 9, 9:30
Released 1983
Retrospective: Tih-Minh (1918, Louis Feuillade)
October 11, 10:30
Released 1920
Closing Night: The Last Metro [Le dernier métro] (1980, François Truffaut)
October 12, 8:30 {Avery Fisher Hall}
Released 1981

Ephemera

  • British Film Now: nine films representing several modes of production; $3 for each film

Recurring Directors
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/omnibus/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable), number of festivals with more than one film shown (when applicable); † indicates their last appearance, fraction in parentheses indicates number of features shown from oeuvre, features released in the eligible timeframe, features in oeuvre

  • Jean-Luc Godard: 1/1/14/18/2/5
  • François Truffaut: 1/1/8/8/5
  • Krzysztof Zanussi: 1/1/5/5
  • Kurosawa Akira: 1/1/4/4/1
  • Andrzej Wajda: 1/1/4/4/0/1
  • Maurice Pialat: 1/1/3/3
  • Jonathan Demme: 1/1/2/2/1†(2/34/34)
  • Carlos Diegues: 1/1/2/2†(2/21/21)
  • Sergei Parajanov: 1/1/2/2
  • Szabó István: 1/1/2/2
  • Krzysztof Kieślowski: 1/1/1/1
  • Roberto Rossellini: 0/1/1/3
  • Louis Feuillade: 0/1/0/2†(2/0/22)
  • Sergio Leone: 0/1/0/1

Recurring Countries
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable)

  • USA: 5/7/66/87/4
  • Poland: 3/3/16/16
  • France: 2/3/100/120/16
  • Hungary: 2/2/12/12
  • Switzerland: 2/2/6/6
  • Italy: 1/3/37/45/4
  • Japan: 1/1/14/17/1
  • USSR: 1/1/7/8/2
  • Canada: 1/1/7/8
  • India: 1/1/7/7/1
  • Yugoslavia: 1/1/6/6
  • Brazil: 1/1/5/5

One-Time Directors

  • William Edgar Cohen
  • Pat Ferrero (short)
  • Connie Field
  • Marlies Graf
  • Micheline Lanctôt
  • Robert Mandel
  • Goran Paskaljević
  • Evelyn Purcell
  • Jackie Raynal (short)
  • Rózsa János
  • Mrinal Sen
  • Franco Brogi Taviani

Feature Debuts

  • Connie Field
  • Micheline Lanctôt
  • Robert Mandel
  • Evelyn Purcell
  • Franco Brogi Taviani

Festivals

  • NYFF World Premiere
    • New York Story
    • Nights at O’Rear’s
    • Rush
  • Cannes
    • Kagemusha (Palme d’or)
    • The Constant Factor (Jury Prize, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
    • Special Treatment (Best Supporting Actress)
    • And Quiet Rolls the Dawn
    • Bye Bye Brazil
    • Every Man for Himself
    • Loulou
    • The Handyman (Directors’ Fortnight)
    • Sunday Daughters (Directors’ Fortnight)
  • Berlin
    • Confidence (Best Director)
    • The Conductor (Best Actor)
  • Venice
    • Europa ’51 (1952, International Award)
    • Melvin and Howard
    • Masoch (Officina veneziana)
  • Other
    • Camera Buff (Moscow, Golden Prize)
    • Handicapped Love (Solothurn)
  • N/A
    • The Color of Pomegranates
    • Here’s looking at you, kid.
    • The Last Metro
    • The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter
    • Once Upon a Time in the West
    • Quilts in Women’s Lives
    • Tih-Minh

Oscar Nominees

  • Melvin and Howard: Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Supporting Actress (won), Best Supporting Actor
  • Kagemusha: Best Art Direction, Best Foreign Film
  • Confidence: Best Foreign Film
  • The Last Metro: Best Foreign Film

Events

events

Discussions By Length (Approximate)

  • 14:05 Once Upon a Time in the West (1:43:31-1:57:36)
  • 13:46 Tih-Minh [One Person] (2:54:53-3:08:39)
  • 13:04 Kagemusha (2:05:21-2:18:25)
  • 12:26 Camera Buff (1:20:39-1:33:05)
  • 11:57 The Last Metro (3:08:40-3:20:37)
  • 11:52 Loulou (2:28:51-2:40:43)
  • 10:03 Melvin and Howard (17:21-27:24)
  • 9:25 Every Man for Himself (2:18:26-2:27:51)
  • 9:24 Europa ’51 (1:34:06-1:43:30)
  • 8:44 The Conductor (40:21-49:05)
  • 8:35 “Americana” [One Person] (2:40:44-2:49:19)
  • 7:43 The Color of Pomegranates (1:57:37-2:05:20)
  • 6:24 Confidence [One Person] (56:26-1:02:50)
  • 6:21 Special Treatment [One Person] (49:06-55:27)
  • 6:15 Sunday Daughters [One Person] (1:14:23-1:20:38)
  • 5:48 And Quiet Rolls the Dawn [One Person] (1:02:51-1:08:39)
  • 5:32 The Constant Factor [One Person] (2:49:20-2:54:52)
  • 4:46 Here’s looking at you, kid. [One Person] (1:09:36-1:14:22)
  • 4:42 Bye Bye Brazil [One Person] (35:38-40:20)
  • 4:34 The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter [One Person] (30:35-35:09)
  • 3:09 Masoch [Unavailable] (27:25-30:34)
  • 1:06 The Handyman [Unavailable] (27:25-28:31)
  • 0:55 Handicapped Love [Unavailable] (1:08:40-1:09:35)
  • 0:27 Quilts in Women’s Lives [Unavailable] (35:10-35:37)

Specifications

  • Jonathan Demme, Melvin and Howard, 1980, 35 mm, color, stereo sound, 95 minutes, 1.85:1, English, USA.
  • Micheline Lanctôt, L’Homme à tout faire, 1980, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 99 minutes, 1.85:1, French, Canada.
  • Franco Brogi Taviani, Masoch, 1980, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 110 minutes, 1.85:1, Italian, Italy.
  • Connie Field, The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter, 1980, 16 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 65 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Pat Ferrero, Quilts in Women’s Lives, 1980, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 28 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Carlos Diegues, Bye Bye Brasil, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 100 minutes, 1.66:1, Portuguese, Brazil.
  • Andrzej Wajda, Dyrygent, 1980, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 101 minutes, 1.37:1, Polish and English and French, Poland.
  • Горан Паскаљевић, Посебан третман, 1980, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 94 minutes, 1.66:1, Serbo-Croatian, Yugoslavia.
  • Szabó István, Bizalom, 1980, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 105 minutes, 1.66:1, Hungarian and German, Hungary.
  • মৃণাল সেন, এক দিন প্রতিদিন, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 95 minutes, 1.37:1, Bengali, India.
  • Marlies Graf, Behinderte Liebe, 1979, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 124 minutes, 1.37:1, German, Switzerland.
  • William Edgar Cohen, Here’s looking at you, kid., 1980, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 51 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Rózsa János, Vasárnapi szülők, 1980, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 100 minutes, 1.37:1, Hungarian, Hungary.
  • Krzysztof Kieślowski, Amator, 1979, 35 mm and 8 mm, color, mono sound, 112 minutes, 1.37:1, Polish, Poland.
  • Roberto Rossellini, Europa ’51, 1952, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 118 minutes, 1.37:1, Italian, Italy.
  • Sergio Leone, C’era una volta il West, 1968, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 165 minutes, 2.35:1, English, Italy.
  • Սերգեյ Փարաջանով, Նռան գույնը, 1969, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 79 minutes, 1.37:1, Armenian, USSR.
  • 黒澤明, 影武者, 1980, 35 mm, color, 4-track stereo sound, 180 minutes, 1.85:1, Japanese, Japan.
  • Jean-Luc Godard, Sauve qui peut (la vie), 1980, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 87 minutes, 1.66:1, French, Switzerland.
  • Maurice Pialat, Loulou, 1980, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 105 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Jackie Raynal, New York Story, 1980, 16 mm, black-and-white and color, mono sound, 27 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Evelyn Purcell, Rush, 1980, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 48 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA. (?)
  • Robert Mandel, Nights at O’Rear’s, 1980, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 45 minutes, 1.85:1, English, USA.
  • Krzysztof Zanussi, Constans, 1980, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 87 minutes, 1.66:1, Polish and English, Poland.
  • Louis Feuillade, Tih-Minh, 1918, 35 mm, black-and-white, silent, 418 minutes, 1.33:1, French, France.
  • François Truffaut, Le dernier métro, 1980, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 131 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.

17th (1979): “Film Capital of the World” Show Notes

Table of Contents: Description, Housekeeping, General, Main Slate, Ephemera, Recurring Directors, Recurring Countries, One-Time Directors, Debuts, Festivals/Oscar Nominees, Events, Discussions By Length, Specifications

poster

Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

Description
The seventeenth episode of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the seventeenth edition of the festival in 1979, and features special guest Jake Cole, freelance film critic for Slant Magazine.

0:00-15:35 – Opening
15:36-1:08:42 – Part One [La luna to Wise Blood]
1:08:43-2:16:06 – Part Two [Short Memory to Molière]
2:16:07-3:13:08 – Part Three [Best Boy to In a Year With 13 Moons]
3:13:09-4:11:27 – Part Four [Without Anesthesia to The Marriage of Maria Braun]
4:11:28-4:17:25 – Closing

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Special Guest Jake Cole
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Recorded in Roswell and Atlanta on Zoom H4N and Behringer Microphone, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded December 13, 2020
  • Released December 26, 2020
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • La luna (opening night)
    • Wise Blood (another favorite)
    • The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (favorite of the first section)
    • Short Memory (favorite of the second section)
    • Alexandria… Why? (favorite of the third section)
    • The Black Stallion (favorite of the fourth section)
    • The Marriage of Maria Braun (closing night)

General

  • Selection Committee: Richard Roud (program director), Richard Corliss, Molly Haskell, Charles Michener, Tom Luddy (West Coast consultant), Mary Meerson (retrospective consultant)
  • Location: Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall
  • Prices: 3, 4, 5.50; for opening and closing night 5, 7, 10
  • Films seen for the podcast:
    • Ryan
      • Seen before podcast watching period: N/A
      • Seen for the podcast: All
      • Favorite films: The Marriage of Maria Braun, The Golden Coach, In a Year With 13 Moons, Peeping Tom, The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, Wise Blood, The Black Stallion, Short Memory
      • Least favorite films: The Europeans
      • Catch-Up Corner: The Bench of Desolation (12th)
    • Jake
      • Seen before podcast watching period: Wise Blood, Nosferatu the Vampyre, My Brilliant Career, In a Year With 13 Moons
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except Angi Vera, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, Other People’s Money, The Wobblies; Nosferatu the Vampyre, My Brilliant Career, In a Year With 13 Moons rewatched
      • Favorite films: Nosferatu the Vampyre, The Marriage of Maria Braun, The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, The Black Stallion, Wise Blood, Short Memory
      • Least favorite films: The Europeans, The Maids of Wilko
  • Discoveries of the festival: Short Memory, Alexandria… Why?, Other People’s Money, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock

Main Slate

Opening Night: La luna [Luna] (1979, Bernardo Bertolucci)
September 28, 8:30 {Avery Fisher Hall}
Released 1979
Retrospective: The Golden Coach [Le Carrosse d’or] (1952, Jean Renoir)
September 29, 12:30
Released 1954
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979, Chuck Jones)
September 29, 3:00
Released 1979
Black Jack (1979, Ken Loach)
September 29, 6:00
Never released
Wise Blood (1979, John Huston)
September 29, 9:00
Released 1980
Short Memory [La mémoire courte] (1979, Eduardo de Gregorio)
September 30, 2:00
Never released
Angi Vera (1978, Gabór Pál)
October 1, 6:15
Released 1980
Nosferatu the Vampyre [Nosferatu – Phantom der Nacht/Nosferatu—Phantom of the Night] (1979, Werner Herzog)
October 1, 9:30
Released 1979
Retrospective: Howard Hughes Presents…
Scarface (1932, Howard Hawks)
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947, Preston Sturges)
October 2, 6:15
Released 1932/Released 1951
The Europeans (1979, James Ivory)
October 2, 9:30
Released 1979
Molière (1978, Ariane Mnouchkine)
October 4, 7:00
Never released
Best Boy (1979, Ira Wohl)
October 5, 6:15
Released 1980
Other People’s Money [L’Argent des autres] (1978, Christian de Chalonge)
October 5, 9:30
Never released
Alexandria… Why? [Iskanderija… lih?] (1979, Youssef Chahine)
October 6, 6:00
Never released
My Brilliant Career (1979, Gillian Armstrong)
October 6, 9:00
Released 1980
A Scream From Silence [Mourir à tue-tête/To Die at the Top of One’s Lungs] (1979, Anne Claire Poirier)
October 8, 6:15
Never released
In a Year With 13 Moons [In einem Jahr mit 13 Monden] (1978, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
October 8, 9:30
Released 1980
Without Anesthesia [Bez znieczulenia] (1978, Andrzej Wajda)
October 9, 9:30
Released 1982
The Wobblies (1979, Steward Bird & Deborah Shaffer)
October 11, 6:15
Released 1981
The Maids of Wilko [Panny z Wilka] (1979, Andrzej Wajda)
October 11, 9:30
Never released
The Black Stallion (1979, Carroll Ballard)
October 13, 12:30
Released 1979
Retrospective: Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell)
October 13, 3:00
Released 1979
Closing Night: The Marriage of Maria Braun [Die Ehe der Maria Braun] (1979, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
October 14, 8:30 {Avery Fisher Hall}
Released 1979

Ephemera

  • Festival of American Independent Films, a six-day festival featuring six new or unreleased films and nine previously released films, released as a prelude leading directly to the New York Film Festival, $3 a film at Paramount Theater
  • Exhibition of technological developments in filmmaking, displayed October 2-4 from 11-8 in Alice Tully Hall

Recurring Directors
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/omnibus/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable), number of festivals with more than one film shown (when applicable); † indicates their last appearance, fraction in parentheses indicates number of features shown from oeuvre, features released in the eligible timeframe, features in oeuvre

  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder: 2/2/9/9/1/1
  • Andrzej Wajda: 2/2/3/3/0/1
  • Bernardo Bertolucci: 1/1/7/8/2/1†(8/17/17)
  • Werner Herzog: 1/1/7/8/0/1
  • James Ivory: 1/1/4/4†(4/29/29)
  • Ken Loach: 1/1/3/3
  • Eduardo de Gregorio: 1/1/2/2†(2/5/5)
  • Youssef Chahine: 1/1/1/1
  • Christian de Chalonge: 1/1/1/1
  • Deborah Shaffer: 1/1/1/1
  • Jean Renoir: 0/1/0/5†(5/0/33)
  • Michael Powell: 0/1/0/1

Recurring Countries
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable)

  • USA: 5/7/61/80/3
  • France: 3/3/98/117/15
  • West Germany: 3/3/29/31/2
  • UK: 2/3/22/25/1
  • Poland: 2/2/13/13
  • Italy: 1/2/36/42/4
  • Hungary: 1/1/10/10
  • Canada: 1/1/6/7
  • Australia: 1/1/2/2
  • Egypt: 1/1/1/1

One-Time Directors

  • Gillian Armstrong
  • Carroll Ballard
  • Stewart Bird
  • Gabór Pál
  • Howard Hawks (retrospective)
  • John Huston
  • Chuck Jones
  • Ariane Mnouchkine
  • Anne Claire Poirier
  • Preston Sturges (retrospective)
  • Ira Wohl

Feature Debuts

  • Deborah Shaffer
  • Ira Wohl

Festivals

  • NYFF World Premiere
    • The Black Stallion
    • The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
    • The Wobblies
  • Cannes
    • Without Anesthesia (Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
    • The Europeans
    • My Brilliant Career
    • A Scream From Silence (Un Certain Regard)
    • Angi Vera (Directors’ Fortnight, FIPRESCI)
    • Black Jack (Directors’ Fortnight, FIPRESCI)
    • Short Memory (Directors’ Fortnight)
    • Wise Blood (Out of Competition)
  • Berlin
    • Alexandria… Why? (Special Jury Prize)
    • The Marriage of Maria Braun (Best Actress, Silver Bear)
    • Nosferatu the Vampyre (Outstanding Individual Achievement)
  • Other
    • Best Boy (Toronto)
    • The Maids of Wilko (Locarno)
  • N/A
    • The Golden Coach
    • In a Year With 13 Moons
    • La luna
    • Molière
    • Other People’s Money
    • Peeping Tom
    • Scarface
    • The Sin of Harold Diddlebock

Oscar Nominees

  • Best Boy: Best Documentary (won)
  • The Black Stallion: Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Special Achievement for Sound Editing
  • The Maids of Wilko: Best Foreign Film
  • My Brilliant Career: 1980 Best Costume Design

Events

events

Discussions By Length (Approximate)

  • 15:09 The Marriage of Maria Braun (3:56:18-4:11:27)
  • 15:04 “Howard Hughes Presents…” (1:40:16-1:55:20)
  • 13:14 In a Year With 13 Moons (2:59:54-3:13:08)
  • 13:12 Nosferatu the Vampyre (1:27:03-1:40:15)
  • 12:58 Molière (2:03:08-2:16:06)
  • 12:50 The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (37:36-50:26)
  • 12:02 La luna (16:41-28:43)
  • 11:56 Short Memory (1:09:47-1:21:43)
  • 11:15 The Black Stallion (3:34:35-3:45:50)
  • 10:26 Peeping Tom (3:45:51-3:56:17)
  • 10:09 Wise Blood (58:33-1:08:42)
  • 10:04 Without Anesthesia (3:14:10-3:24:14)
  • 10:00 A Scream From Silence (2:49:53-2:59:53)
  • 9:44 Best Boy (2:17:07-2:26:51)
  • 8:51 The Golden Coach (28:44-37:35)
  • 8:34 Alexandria… Why? (2:32:56-2:41:30)
  • 8:21 My Brilliant Career (2:41:31-2:49:52)
  • 8:05 Black Jack (50:27-58:32)
  • 7:46 The Europeans (1:55:21-2:03:07)
  • 6:26 The Maids of Wilko (3:28:08-3:34:34)
  • 6:03 Other People’s Money [One Person] (2:26:52-2:32:55)
  • 5:18 Angi Vera [One Person] (1:21:44-1:27:02)
  • 3:52 The Wobblies [One Person] (3:24:15-3:28:07)

Specifications

  • Bernardo Bertolucci, La luna, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 142 minutes, 1.85:1, English and Italian, Italy.
  • Jean Renoir, Le Carrosse d’or, 1952, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 103 minutes, 1.37:1, English and Italian, Italy.
  • Chuck Jones, The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 98 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Ken Loach, Black Jack, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 110 minutes, 1.66:1, English, UK.
  • John Huston, Wise Blood, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 106 minutes, 1.85:1, English, USA.
  • Eduardo de Gregorio, La mémoire courte, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 105 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Gabór Pál, Angi Vera, 1978, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 96 minutes, 1.66:1, Hungarian, Hungary.
  • Werner Herzog, Nosferatu – Phantom der Nacht, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 107 minutes, 1.85:1, German, West Germany.
  • Howard Hawks, Scarface, 1932, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 93 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Preston Sturges, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, 1947, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 89 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • James Ivory, The Europeans, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 91 minutes, 1.66:1, English, UK.
  • Ariane Mnouchkine, Molière, 1978, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 260 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Ira Wohl, Best Boy, 1979, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 111 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Christian de Chalonge, L’Argent des autres, 1978, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 105 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • يوسف شاهين‎, إسكندرية… ليه؟, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 133 minutes, 1.66:1, Arabic and English, Egypt.
  • Gillian Armstrong, My Brilliant Career, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 100 minutes, 1.85:1, English, Australia.
  • Anne Claire Poirier, Mourir à tue-tête, 1979, 16 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 96 minutes, 1.37:1, French, Canada.
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder, In einem Jahr mit 13 Monden, 1978, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 124 minutes, 1.66:1, German, West Germany.
  • Andrzej Wajda, Bez znieczulenia, 1978, 35 mm and video, color, mono sound, 131 minutes, 1.37:1, Polish, Poland.
  • Stewart Bird & Deborah Shaffer, The Wobblies, 1979, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 89 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Andrzej Wajda, Panny z Wilka, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 118 minutes, 1.66:1, Polish, Poland.
  • Carroll Ballard, The Black Stallion, 1979, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, stereo sound, 118 minutes, 1.85:1, English, USA.
  • Michael Powell, Peeping Tom, 1960, 35 mm and 16 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 101 minutes, 1.66:1, English, UK.
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Die Ehe der Maria Braun, 1979, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 120 minutes, 1.66:1, German and English, West Germany.

2020 Festival Dispatch #4 Show Notes

Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

Description
The fourth 2020 festival dispatch of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the third week of the 2020 New York Film Festival, and features guests Forrest Cardamenis, Soham Gadre, and Jason Miller.

0:00-1:01:03 – Part One
1:01:04-2:06:23 – Part Two

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Guests: Forrest Cardamenis, Soham Gadre, Jason Miller
  • Recorded in Roswell, New York City, and Washington D.C. on Zoom H4N and Behringer Microphones and MacBook GarageBand and Audacity and iPhone, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded October 11, 2020
  • Released October 17, 2020
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Our Sunhi
    • El Sicario, Room 164
    • El futuro

2020 Festival Dispatch #3 Show Notes

Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

Description
The third 2020 festival dispatch of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen. This covers the second week of the 2020 New York Film Festival, and features guests Forrest Cardamenis, Jeva Lange, Jason Miller, and C.J. Prince.

0:00-1:07:45 – Part One
1:07:46-2:07:51 – Part Two

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Guests: Forrest Cardamenis, Jeva Lange, Jason Miller, C.J. Prince
  • Recorded in Roswell, New York City, and Toronto on Zoom H4N and Behringer Microphones and MacBook GarageBand and Audacity and iPhone, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Recorded October 4, 2020
  • Released October 7, 2020
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Rebels of the Neon God
    • Court
    • 2+2=22 [The Alphabet]